The Ai
r Force is purchasing two types of removable mobile command workspaces for use by military and senior civilian leaders traveling aboard mobility aircraft. “Having these pallets on airlift and refueling aircraft provides an ‘office in the air’ and will allow senior leaders and dignitaries to perform their duties while traveling,” said Maj. Gen. Robert McMahon, director of maintenance on the Air Staff. The first model is the senior leaders in-transit conference capsule, an enclosed pod with work and rest areas that can be equipped with secure communications. It fits inside the C-130, C-17s and KC-10. The first SLICC is expected to be completed before the end of the year for a cost of $2.7 million; two additional units are planned with an expected unit cost of approximately $1.9 million. The second module is the senior leaders in-transit pallet that features a lighted conference table with reclining chairs. It can be carried in the C-17, KC-10, and KC-135. The first SLIP is already in use; there are plans to purchase three more units. Each SLIP costs $290,000, according to McMahon. (SAF/PA report by SSgt. J.G. Buzanowski)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.